


Liam’s Friend

by Lady_of_Haven



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dogs, F/M, Meddling, Single Parents, all around cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27585359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Haven/pseuds/Lady_of_Haven
Summary: Based on the Reylo Prompt: Neighbor Maz watches Rey’s son Liam while she works and goes to school. Maz pushes him in his pram at the park everyday at 12, which is when Ben walks his dog Kylo. Little Liam loves Kylo and Ben. One day, Rey is out with Liam at a coffee shop when he recognizes and reaches out for  Ben.I changed a couple of things, but yeah.. here it is:
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 53
Kudos: 302
Collections: ReylOlds





	Liam’s Friend

“I’m not sure who is walking whom here, boy,” Ben laughs as Kylo gives his leash a furious tug. His paws are really digging into the ground, his nose down as if searching for his favorite treat. They crest a small rise and Kylo barks out a playful yip, excited as he jumps around Ben’s legs.

There, under their favorite tree is Kylo’s best friend.

“Good afternoon, Maz,” Ben says, smiling at Kylo as the labrador abruptly lays down then inches slowly towards the toddler who is clapping his hands in glee.

“Benjamin, Liam and I were wondering if you weren’t coming today.” Maz hands Ben a sandwich then feeds Liam another bite-sized morsel from his lunch.

“Conference call ran long. Kylo was whining so badly that they finally had mercy on me and let me go.”

“Ball,” Liam squeals, reaching for Maz’s bag and his tennis balls.

Kylo, seeing the ball bounds for Ben, licking his neck as Ben releases him from his leash. Kylo then heads back to his friend, freezing when the toddler holds up his hand and says, “Stop.”

Liam tilts his hand flat and lowers it towards the ground. “Down.”

Kylo lays down, his head between his paws. “Stay.”

Liam waves the ball over his head, laughing brightly as Kylo’s eyes track his prize. Liam tosses the ball and it bounces down the hill as Kylo whines, his eyes darting back and forth between the ball and his boy.

“Git.”

Kylo races down the hill, capturing the ball and shaking his head back and forth with a growl as he conquers the ball that had thought to escape him.

Liam looks back to Maz, hand out. “Ball.”

Maz shakes her head with a laugh as she hands over a dry ball. 

“LEELO,” Liam yells, waving the new ball and Kylo freezes, eyes on the new ball as he runs back up the hill, the now soaked ball still in his mouth.

“Stop.” Liam holds his hand back up and the dog stops. “Drop.” Kylo shakes his head, guarding his prize, growling when Liam reaches out for the ball.

“KYLO. OUT. COME.” Ben stands, putting his hands on his hips as the dog crawls on its belly, fully chastised. “Drop.” Kylo sets the ball at Ben’s feet and whimpers pitifully. 

“Go say sorry to Liam,” Ben says firmly, pointing to the boy.

Kylo trots over to Liam, putting his head in his lap and looking so sad that Liam tears up too. “Poor baby,” Liam pets his friend's head trying to comfort him, then a sly look crosses his head as he bends and whispers something into Kylo’s ears, causing them to perk.

Liam throws the ball down the hill, immediately yelling, “GIT.”

Kylo jumps all the way down the hill, tail wagging furiously as he scoops up the ball then races back and drops it in Liam’s hands.

“EEEWWWWWWWW,” Liam freaks, tossing the ball again as Ben and Maz laugh. Liam is trying to shake all the drool off his hands, holding them out far from his body as he cries his frustration out for everyone to hear.

“I have you buddy,” Ben chuckles, grabbing the wipes to clean up the little man. “Kylo, come. Lay.”

Kylo bounds to their side, chewing on his ball as Ben pulls Liam into his lap.

“All better, Liam?”

The boy looks up into his face and smiles, “Tanks, Ban.”

“You will be a good father, dear boy,” Maz says as Liam cuddles into him with a yawn.

Ben looks down fondly at the toddler as his eyes grow heavy and start to close. “Maybe one day.”

Maz smirks, but lets it drop as she puts their things back in her bag. “Can you put him in the stroller? I need to get him home for his nap.”

Ben lifts the drowsy boy carefully, dropping his head to smell his curls as he places him in the stroller Maz uses to bring him to the park.

“He’s a good kid,” he whispers to Maz as he puts Kylo back on his leash.

“Apple of his mother’s eye,” Maz chuckles. “He’s all boy at times and she gets frustrated. He hates to see her upset and starts kissing her until she’s not upset anymore. It’s adorable to watch.”

“And his father,” Ben sheepishly asks, not looking at the woman he’s known his whole life.

Maz is silent until he does look and then he flushes red. “She’s a single mom, Liam’s father signed over his rights when he was born.”

Kylo growls, responding to the fury that goes through Ben and Maz laughs as she points the stroller towards home.

“Oh Ben,” She calls out when she reaches the walkway. “Rey takes Liam to the library on Saturday mornings for story time and then they hit the coffee shop on 4th street.”

Ben shakes his head as he leads Kylo home. He had never even considered children as an option, but as he had gotten to know little Liam over the past couple months he’d grown fond of the little guy. Watching him with Kylo reminded him of the dog he had growing up, a golden lab named Chewie.

Chewie kept him company when his parents had to work, both in and away from home. Chewie had always known when Ben needed affection, cuddling close as his parents yelled at each other downstairs or when they would leave for a long trip for work.

Ben found himself wondering if Liam and his mother were alone much, then shook his head. No, they wouldn’t be, not if Maz had adopted them. Maz had a way for adopting strays, including his father when he was young and now even Ben.

When the nonagenarian had found out that he quit his office job and was now working from home, she bugged him until he agreed to their daily lunch appointment, getting him and Kylo out of the house.

Letting Kylo off his leash as they enter the house, Ben drops his keys in the bowl on the shelf and watches as Kylo marches to his bin in the corner and drops the new ball on top of all the rest.

Ben purposefully does not look up the closest library to the coffee shop on 4th street.

He does not call them to find out about story time.

So he has no idea that it will last for 30 minutes.

Nor does he look up the distance between the library and the coffee shop to estimate the time it would take to walk from point A to point B.

He does not wonder about how one woman might juggle work, home and a toddler as active as Liam. She must be formidable; he finally decides as he turns off the light to go to bed, laying back as Kylo lays against his feet.

“Okay Maz, I’ll play. Tomorrow,” he mutters as he falls asleep.

___________

Rey struggles to get the stroller through the door, laughing at Liam as he sings Itsy Bitsy Spider at the top of his lungs. Story time always has music, but bugs are Liam’s favorite. She shivers at the thought. She thinks bugs should stay outdoors and not come into her home, but Liam was always so tender hearted, crying for an hour the day she killed a spider in the kitchen.

She takes them to the counter and smiles at their usual server, “Hi Kaydel, can we have the usual please?”

Kaydel nods, a full blush on her face, as she marks the cups and pulls bakery items out of the display counter, then scans the app on Rey’s phone for payment.

“Okay, what’s wrong with you?” Rey has never seen the teenager this subdued.

Kaydel leans towards her over the counter, “Hottie at 7 o’clock.” Rey smirks, twisting to put her wallet back in her bag and peaks through her hair.

_Hot damn._

Okay, the man is gorgeous. He’s sitting in their usual spot, his long legs folded under the small table, broad shoulders leaning forward with his head resting on his palm, reading a book.

She turns back to Kaydel and winks as she accepts her order then pushes Liam over to a table. Liam, who hates change, looks at the new table skeptically then twists to look at his usual seat and squeals. “BAN. BAN. BAN.” His hands reaching out, fingers flexing frantically in a classic gimme motion.

The dark head turns, amused and the smile that lights his face is warming and kind. She looks up as he stands, eyes widening at how tall he is, Kaydel’s subdued demeanor makes total sense. The man is… definitely a man.

“Hey buddy, what are you doing here,” he says as he bends down to Liam’s level. Liam immediately climbs the man like a tree and Rey’s mind flashes with images of her… no wait.

“Exactly how do you know my son,” she asks the stranger now holding her son.

The man chuckles, tickling Liam’s belly, “He’s Kylo’s best friend.”

“LEELO! Want Leelo, mommy. Want Leelo.” Liam looks around the shop, on the verge of a tantrum.

“Oh, you are the mysterious Leelo huh?”

Ben shakes his head, “No, that’s my black lab, Kylo.”

Rey groans, rolling her eyes, “You’re the reason he wants a dog. I took him to the pet shop. He refused every puppy there, just kept saying `Leelo’.”

The man in question hangs his head, trying not to laugh. “Guilty. Maz got tired of me staying home all the time and so she feeds me lunch in the park on weekdays. I bring Kylo out for the exercise. I think he likes Liam more than he likes me.” He chuckles, running a hand through his hair. “I’m Ben, by the way,” he says gently, holding out his hand.

She looks at the hand, then at the way her son is cuddling into the large man’s shoulder. Time to let him know where she stands. “I’m Liam’s mother, Rey.”

He holds her hand tenderly, running his thumb over her knuckles, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Would you like to join us? Or maybe we should join you, since you are at Liam's favorite table.” 

He looks back at the table with his book and beverage with a grin, “It is a good table. By the window so you can see everything and in the corner so you’re not in anyone’s way.” Ben grabs the handle of the stroller and pushes it next to his seat, motioning to the chair across from him. He doesn’t sit until Rey does and isn’t that something.

She pulls out Liam’s cake pop and the boy is lunging across the table in excitement. 

Ben rescues his drink from where it was bumped before it can spill.

“Nice save,” Rey quips, poking the straw down into a cup of water for her son. Then she sips her coffee, closing her eyes in enjoyment.

“Coffee fan?” Ben is looking at her with complete focus and she fidgets, unused to the scrutiny.

“I think it’s the only thing that keeps me going.” She laughs, “So, how do you know Maz?”

Ben laughs, “My father was one of her strays before he met my mother… and once you belong to Maz…”

“You’re hers,” they complete in unison, laughing.

“You work from home?”

“I do now. I was in a toxic work environment for several years and then one day decided to quit. I had several clients that called me a couple of months later, unhappy with the change and asking if I could be hired as a contractor. I work from home now. My life had a lot less stress and I have more time for my family. How about you?”

Rey shakes her head, “The only family I have is Liam. I grew up in the foster system, went to college, got a degree and now I’m an engineer.”

Ben’s eyebrows lift and he looks impressed. “That’s a demanding field.” 

“I have a pretty good mentor,” she smiles, “And Resistance Engineering is a family company so they accommodate me fairly well with Liam. My boss let me work from home when he was sick a couple months ago.”

He chuckles, leaning back with a sheepish expression that Liam gets when he’s being naughty.

Her brows furrow and in her best mom voice she demands, “What?”

Ben laughs, Liam looks up surprised and laughs with him, clapping his little hands in joy. 

Rey blinks, looking between the two of them, a little distressed that her son has something in his life that she is completely ignorant of… including an animal.

“Can I meet your dog? He wouldn’t hurt Liam would he?”

Liam starts to squirm in his lap, reaching for his mother and Ben lifts him over the table to her. She tries to not stare at the way his biceps flex as Liam slips into her arms and immediately hugs her, laying kisses on her cheek. Rey cuddles her baby close to her, returning a kiss to his little forehead.

“I’m sorry, that came out rude.”

Ben shakes his head. “No apology needed. You do not know me yet.”

Rey lifts her eyes to his, her voice breathless as she asks, “Yet?” She swallows the lump raising in her throat.

Ben leans forward, leaning on one arm. “Why don’t I run home and get Kylo, then we can walk to the farmers market on 3rd and pick up something to eat in the park.”

Rey ignores the way Liam keeps patting her cheek asking for his Leelo, searching the dark eyes of the man across the table. “Like a picnic.”

Ben smiles, leaning back. “Exactly like a picnic.”

She hasn’t dated since she discovered she was pregnant with Liam, too nervous to bring a stranger into her baby’s world but…

“Okay.”

Ben's face lights up again and she blushes. He gets up, picks up his book and puts up his hand for Liam to high five. “Be right back, buddy. I’m going to go get Kylo.”

Liam cheers then stuffs the remainder of his cake pop right in his mouth.

“It’ll take me about 10 minutes,” he says to her, looking down with a smile.

“We will be right here.” She watches as he leaves and damn if he didn’t look fantastic in his dark wash denim. She reaches for her phone, pressing the number at the top of her favorites list.

“Maz! Tell me everything you know about this Ben guy,” she demands as soon as the laughing woman answers the phone.

__________

He normally hates it when his life is interfered with and he’s pretty sure he has been maneuvered by the master as he parks his SUV in front of his home. He enters, reaching immediately for Kylo’s leash as the lab dances around his feet.

“Come on, boy. Liam’s waiting.”

Kylo claws at the door until Ben opens it then races to the vehicle, impatient as Ben comes down the walkway. Ben opens the back door and fastens Kylo’s safety harness for the car ride.

He pushes the phone button on his dash then carefully pulls out into traffic as his mother answers the phone.

“Hello Benjamin, how are you? Still coming to brunch tomorrow?”

Ben laughs, “Yes, I’ll be there. I have a favor to ask. I know you and Maz get together on Saturday nights, how would you like to have company.”

Ben smirks when his mother’s voice turns coy, “Oh, are you going to come watch movies with us?”

“No.”

He then stops talking, knowing full well that his mother does not fair well with silence. 

“Have you met someone?”

He can’t hold it in, he laughs. “Yes, and you damn well know it. I’d like to take her to dinner.”

“Maz says you’re good with him,” His mother pounces.

“Boundaries, mom. No hints at wedding or grandchildren. I swear to God, you scare her away and I’ll never speak to you again.” His mother is so easy to tease, but he’s kinda not.

“You know where we live, let me know what time,” she says then hangs up before agreeing to anything. Typical.

He parks, then grabs the leash, to get Kylo.

“LEELO,” He hears the high pitch squeal from across the street and sees Rey pushing Liam towards him.

Kylo tugs on his leash and Rey stops, looking concerned, but Liam takes charge, holding up his little hand.

“Stop. Sit.”

Kylo sits, tongue hanging out.

Ben smirks, “Kylo stay. Come here Rey, let’s introduce you.” He reaches for her hand and she looks a little nervous as she complies. Ben kneels and holds her hand in his. “Kylo, come.”

Kylo obediently comes forward to sniff her gently and Ben gives the second command. “Protect.”

He stands, still holding her hand, half hoping she won’t notice as he motions with his other towards the farmers market, “Shall we?” He reaches for the stroller with his free hand and pushes only to stop when she doesn’t move.

He looks back to see her staring at their combined hands in awe.

“Rey,” he says softly with a smile, jerking his head forward. “Let’s go.”

A shy smile comes to her face and she takes a small step and then another, falling in to stroll at his side, Liam’s little fingers on Kylo’s shoulder as they walk.

“So, let me tell you about my mother,” Ben starts as they head down the sidewalk, squeezing her hand in his. “Her name is Leia Organa and I think you know her…”

  
  
  



End file.
